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Post by cowgirlup on Jan 26, 2014 4:50:35 GMT -7
I saw this question from Lanyislost in the shoutbox. But it's been quiet there so I made a topic out of it.
Lany's Question:
I've been seeing people talking about food prices soaring again due to this cold snap we've been having. The advice has been to stock up on grains, rice, dehydrated potatoes etc. like right now. Any thoughts?
I'm not sure how the cold snap would affect those items. The only thing I can think would be winter wheat that might die off but then it's sort of a grass and should be hardy.
But any other fresh produce and fruit will likely go up. I know FL has had some cold weather but I haven't heard of a freeze like they've had in the past with the citrus trees.
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Post by cajunlady87 on Jan 26, 2014 7:07:26 GMT -7
I would think of it this way. We all know food prices have been rising steadily, even more so the past year or so. Hypothetically speaking, suppose you were unable to go shopping because this cold snap with many more to come would prevent you from doing so. Knowing this you will get one last trip to the store before you're confined to your home for months. What items would you shop for which you currently buy, providing lots of vitamins to sustain you, but you may fall short of in those months of being pent up. If in doubt of any items you feel you should concentrate on that these cold snaps may affect, stocking up on then now will put your mind at ease. That's a major part of prepping. Don't play the woulda, coulda, shoulda game. And the prepping motto is: Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Hope this helps.  |
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Post by lanyislost on Feb 7, 2014 20:25:50 GMT -7
I've been concentrating on stocking up on coconut oil, apple cider vinegar, raw honey and those things with culinary and medicinal purposes. I use a lot of vinegar and lemon juice for cleaning, I make my own laundry soap and bleach alternative, but I can also use the items in other ways as well.
I've also been experimenting with different grains, like couscous, groats and barley just to see if I could tolerate them if need be and what I can do to make them more palatable if I don't like them.
Also, I heard about oven canning things like rice, beans, dry goods etc. to keep them longer, plus you can cook up your rice, dry it in the dehydrator and then put in a jar, same with barley, and when you want some in soup you just toss it in, already cooked.
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Post by ncguy on Feb 7, 2014 20:48:39 GMT -7
I would be worried about beef prices, because of the big ranches having whole herds of cattle freeze to death. This means less cattle in the feedlots now and less this spring when the ranches stock back the herds. On a side note store bought beef makes me nervous. I'm glad we grow our own beef.
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Post by woodyz on Feb 7, 2014 21:31:33 GMT -7
Beef is just ridiculous and out of range for most people, its pork and chicken for now around here. Or useable stores in the pantry contain 5 cans/sacks of whatever we use on a daily basis + 5x what we use in frozen foods. When we go to the store we make a list based on missing cans/bags or frozen foods, so it is replaced regularly and we could go several weeks without running out of something to eat. Just what my Grandparents and Mother did.
That doesn't count the canned/home packed items or the cases of stored food that is for long term.
Monthly we rotate the pantry items, which are newer, to the stored and replace from the stored, back to front so we are constantly changing/renewing the expiration dates of the long term stuff. Monthly we buy cases and 25/50# sacks of items we store for long term. I might buy a case of canned beef, chicken, tuna, mixed vegetables, select vegetables, mac& cheese, rice, 2 large peanut butter, two large honey, etc. each month.
Right now I could go a year and not go to the store + I have more than a year at retreat, three months in the RV. I am running out of space.
Yes costs are up, but they are not coming down, ever. We may eat a lot of potatoes or pasta or rice but we won't go hungry yet.
I would think current shortages related to weather might result from transportation and delivery issues rather than a lack of an item.
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Post by dtucker on Feb 7, 2014 22:05:22 GMT -7
I think it is a good idea to stock what you can-when you can. I try to buy things that can be versatile. We have lots of rice, pasta, beans and canned meats and vegetables, honey, peanut butter, soups etc.
I dehydrate what I can and I do not buy anything that doesn't have an expiration date of at least a year. I rotate everything.
I always look for things marked down or on clearance. If I have the money I get it.
Just the other day I went into the grocery store for one thing but came out with almost 15 pounds of dried black beans. I only paid $4.75. I could not believe I had found such a good deal.
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Post by lanyislost on Feb 8, 2014 10:43:30 GMT -7
My dad lived through the Great Depression, he rummaged through garbage cans at night to take scraps back home to help feed his mom and sisters so he knew what it was like to be hungry. As a result, there was always at least 2 years supply of food in his house, be it in the freezers, cupboards, shelves in the basement and garage, and in his campers. He was a ham radio operator till his death and was always prepared as best he could be. He told me to be prepared BEFORE the big event, not try to prepare AFTER SHTF.
I grow lots of medicinal and culinary herbs, even edible flowers because they can help make the most mundane and bland food taste so much better. I don't believe we have to sacrifice good taste if we can dry herbs, onions, garlic, and those things to enhance our food during a crisis. These are just some of my thoughts.
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Post by cowgirlup on Feb 8, 2014 16:05:39 GMT -7
I've also been experimenting with different grains, like couscous, groats and barley just to see if I could tolerate them if need be and what I can do to make them more palatable if I don't like them. I was reading about quinoa recently. I've had it and eat it more in the summer. The info I read said it is also good mixed with rice which I haven't tried yet. Also as a breakfast cereal. It's a complete protein as well. |
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Post by lanyislost on Feb 8, 2014 16:18:43 GMT -7
I have had quinoa mixed with wild rice and red rice, it is kind of bland so I add a lot of garlic to it.
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Post by woodyz on Feb 8, 2014 16:37:42 GMT -7
Love barley.
I started buying rolled oats in addition to oat and wheat groats. Good 8 to 10 years and have more uses than making flour, but can still be ground to flour.
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Post by lanyislost on Feb 8, 2014 16:44:27 GMT -7
Love barley. I started buying rolled oats in addition to oat and wheat groats. Good 8 to 10 years and have more uses than making flour, but can still be ground to flour. I only eat rolled oats, I don't like the instant oats at all and I tried steel cut oats but can't seem to cook them long enough. |
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Post by angelhelp on Feb 8, 2014 19:08:21 GMT -7
I first tried quinoa last summer. I like it plain, with just a smidgen of butter.
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Post by missasip on Feb 8, 2014 20:13:00 GMT -7
Well shoot, never heard of quinoa before this thread. Guess I'm gonna have to take a gander at it. Any taste ideas out there....no don't tell me it tastes like chicken....    Jimmy |
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Post by lanyislost on Feb 8, 2014 20:33:30 GMT -7
no, it's a grain and it tastes good, but I have a new fondness for a TON of garlic on everything.
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Post by angelhelp on Feb 8, 2014 20:37:00 GMT -7
No, it tastes "plain", which is why I like it... same as I like rice and other plain foods. They all have their own subtle differences and lend themselves to any flavoring you wish to use. Quinoa looks cool when it's cooked, kind of oddly curly.
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